Bad∞End∞Night Vol 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Curtain Rise

A powerful wind could be heard past the two windows on the back wall of the stage. Outside one of them which was left open, branches of a large tree swayed greatly in the storm. Above hovered a large, painted full moon. On the far right side of the stage was a fireplace, a small glass table in front of it, three armchairs around that, and two three-seater sofas. 

A giant crystal chandelier hung from the center of the semi-cylindrical ceiling, but less than half of its many candles were lit. The light from two candlesticks beside the fireplace and a small standing lamp on a table under a large window just barely lit the room. The gloomy living room was enshrouded in a decadent, melancholy air unique to twilight. 

The room was filled with expensive Adam-style furniture, but it was all ancient and weathered. The master of the mansion sat in the most luxurious armchair, wrinkled his brow, and looked up from his newspaper toward the window behind him. 

“Tonight’s full moon is more beautiful than ever… I feel as if the moon goddess herself could visit on this night.” 

“Understood, master!” 

The moment the master spoke the world “storm,” two dolls neatly positioned on one of the sofas moved as if just waking up from a deep sleep. 

Rin and Len, who played the parts of the dolls, were both around 5 foot 3 inches, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and well-formed facial features that really could be described as doll-like. But even so, they were too big to be life-size dolls. As such, the entire set employed a trick of perspective; the further back an actor was, the smaller they appeared to be. Rin and Len were always positioned toward the back, so from the audience, they appeared to be smaller than usual. 

“YahaHAHA! A storm? It’s been SO long!” 

“Ah, so you’ve woken up.” 

“GOOD day, MAdam! Will there REALly be a STORM? For SURE?” 

“Very well.” 

The Lady, the daughter of the family, relaxing by herself in the three-seat sofa opposite the dolls, reached over to the table for the newspaper the master tossed there. She began to read it with a look of boredom. But not long after, she spoke up with interest piqued. 

“My, what’s this! A murder incident…? So things are getting dangerous even here. Nemo Village, why, that’s just through the forest, isn’t it? A tranquil village like that… could it be true? Let’s see, the murderer killed eight people with a knife… Er, hm, how do I read this? What a strangely-written name… It says the killer escaped with the murder weapon, and is still on the run. How frightful!” 

“It’s only natural that there are dangerous occurrences where people gather. Another mundane day.” 

“Now this is momentous!” 

The troublesome maid made a declaration, always wont to make the slightest things out to be major incidents. With three empty teacups on her tray, she approached the butler, and her voice filling with anticipation and excitement, went on in an increasingly dramatic tone. 

“In a forest eerily lit by the full moon… The birds squawk in fear of something, and the people fear the signs of a storm. In a nearby rural village, an unheard-of case of serial murders! Is this all just coincidence? …No, something dreadful is brewing. Is it the decadent wish of the twilight? Do the threads of fate reach even to this bored mansion, desiring something strange to happen? A wandering vampire in search of blood… A werewolf transforming under this full moon and baring his fangs… A Frankenstein’s monster, soundlessly crawling up from the grave… Yes, when incidents occur, there is always…” 

“An uninvited guest.” 

Knock, knock, knock. 

As soon as the butler spoke, the sound of a door knocker echoed from the front door, through the plain entrance hall that was on stage left. The audience could see past the doors, and thus could just barely see someone’s hand on the knocker. The seven on stage instantly turned toward the door with a start. 

“Was that the wind…?” 

The butler left the living room to head toward the entrance. The wind being made behind the window by the stagehand Mayu continued to blow fiercely, without end.

Knock, knock, knock. The rapping on the door echoed louder than before. 

“Who could it be, so late at night…?” 

The butler slowly approached, and opened the door with a cautious motion. 

The door opened with a long creak. The entire mansion set was fully equipped with antique yet high-quality fixtures and furniture. But the front double doors in particular were so rotten and rusted, they seemed ready to fall off their hinges. They had, in fact, been made out of rotten wood by the setmakers. Stepping out through the doorway from the wing of the stage, entering the mansion on this ominous night, was a mysterious visitor. 

“Good evening… I’m sorry to bother you at such a late hour.” 

Just then, a clap of thunder roared from the ceiling above the audience, loud enough to shake the tops of their heads. For a moment, the minimal stage lights went out, and a flash of lightning could be seen through the windows. The perfect sync of the lighting and acoustics added a ghastly fear and sense of presence to the enigmatic visitor’s entrance scene. The audience held their breath, waiting on the visitor’s next word. 

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Behind my eyelids, I imagined another me. She was walking alone through the deep, dark woods… suddenly, she came to a stop at an antiquated mansion. I had become lost in this forest by sheer chance on this night threatening to rain - a simple villager. …Ah, so cold. The rain began to drizzle down… I opened my eyes. 

“Um… If, if it’s all right, would I be allowed to stay here for the night? It seems I got lost walking in the woods…” 

“Thank you.” 

The villager came inside the mansion, and with another loud creak, closed the busted door. Proceeding through the entrance hall, the two walked into the living room where the others resided. 

The lights faded. 

“By the way, we haven’t heard your name yet, young lady.” 

The villager’s eyes flew open in reaction to the master’s words. 

“…Do I need to tell it to you?” 

She wrinkled her brow, and looked ready to cry at any moment, as if thinking back on a tragically sorrowful past. Seeing this, the master was silent, and stared at her suspiciously. As the silence persisted, the others present quietly watched the interaction between the two. 

“…All right. I didn’t mean to make you so sorrowful - I wouldn’t force you to say. But I was just… wondering what I should call you, you see.” 

“OOH! What? WHAT’s your IDEa?”, the doll boy interjected with good timing. 

“D-D-Dolls…?!” 

“To our WONdrous manSION!” 

The villager’s mouth hung open in shock as she stared at the moving dolls. 

“That’s RIGHT! Nice TO meet you!” 

“Of COURSE, OF course! We’re dolls, BUT we’re aLIVE and KICKing! AhaHAHA!” 

“Even THOUGH we’re dolls, we MOVE, and TALK, and eVEN eat. Oh, BUT we don’t GO to the bathROOM! Why IS that? BEcause… We’re dolls! AHAHAha!” 

Still overwhelmed by the eeriness of the moving and talking dolls, the villager just kept listening in hopes of better understanding their existence. 

“But FORget that! What WAS your iDEA?” 

“AHA, I see! You CAN be friendLY without KNOWing someONE’s name! Just like US!” 

The doll boy stared at the villager appraisingly, like a customer trying to decide which item to buy from a store counter. 

“People WHO don’t know EACH other’s names CAN get aLONG just FINE! I read a BOOK just THE other day, that said PARties are more FUN when you don’t know ANYone’s name!” 

“Yes! Parties where NO one knows WHO anyone IS but themSELVES!” 

“Do you mean… a masquerade?”, the butler asked, putting his left hand to his chin. 

“Hmm. Why, that sounds like fun.” 

The lady smiled and glanced toward the villager. The maid went around refilling everyone’s cups and spoke excitedly. 

“It won’t be quite like a true masquerade, but in the sense of us and her not making any inquiries of each other and just celebrating all night… That does seem like more fun than a normal party! And perhaps something might happen…” 

“A party in which she is the star…? No one even knows her name, and she knows nothing of us. That does seem rather interesting.” 

“I’m in favor of that!” 

“Yaaay! YahaHAHA!” 

The master seemed fond of the maid’s suggestion, and the mistress and lady aired their approval. Even the doll twins seemed eager to participate in the party. 

“Um? Are you really throwing a party just for me…?” 

“Bored…?” 

“We’ve been waiting for an occurrence to dispel our boredom - or someone to make such a thing happen…” 

“An uninvited guest…” The villager lowered her head, confusedly looking away from the master. 

“Say, why were you walking through those woods this late at night?”, the lady inquired with a look of curiosity. “Even for a local, surely it’s dangerous to be out there alone?” 

The villager reached for her left skirt pocket - to put her hand over a white envelope half sticking out. Slowly turning her head to look at every one of the seven, she finally told them only this: “I got lost on the way home.” The lady seemed dissatisfied with the answer, cutting off the conversation with a “hmph.” 

“By the way, where did you come from? You can tell us that much, can’t you?” 

“…Yes! I don’t mind.” 

“Hm…?” 

The villager stared back at the lady as she started to ask something. 

“…No, it’s nothing.” 

She quickly stood up out of her chair and exited the living room. 

“You know, um, this really is… a strange mansion, isn’t it? When I saw it from outside, I didn’t see any lights on, so I thought no one even lived here. The front door was dilapidated, too… Yet it’s so marvelous on the inside.” 

“InDEED, INdeed! It’s VEry strange to have a PARty with someONE we know NOthing about!” 

“People only gather in this living room during the day, so there isn’t much light here. Once night falls, we all leisurely eat dinner in the dining room next door. It’s much brighter there. Now, let me prepare the wine.” 

The butler then exchanged a few words with his master and left out the door to the entrance hall. 

“What a strange night it’s become, hm?” 

“We were talking about it just before you arrived. The full moon, the signs of a storm, and a grave incident at a nearby village. We thought something strangemight happen here at this mansion, as well.” 

The maid held her hands to her chest, her eyes in a trance. 

“I…” 

Lights fade. Set change: Hall, living room, dining room, and stairs. 

It felt as if the scene was, in that moment, cut away from reality and stopped in time. A bizarre silence. The villager, her eyes and mouth open wide, her face a mixture of ecstasy and madness, couldn’t move a muscle. Because this was not in the script. It was pure accident. This situation of the clock being broken with a loud sound was non-existent in the act’s finale. 

…Now I’ve done it. 

Moments after that piece of cloth put the mysterious world of night to rest, unbroken applause and excitement rang out for the wonderful fictitious world behind the curtain, and the people who dwelled there. 

Chapter end